Friday, 4 September 2015

How to Choose Your Refrigerator

There are four basic factors that you need to consider when looking to purchase a refrigerator for your home:

The Door Style

This is the first thing you need to consider. A few decades ago, the majority of these appliances had a refrigerator in the lower portion and a freezer in the upper. Now, the trend has shifted to side by side refrigerators, and more recently, French door style refrigerators that have a lower freezer and two upper doors. There are other form factors available e.g. bottom freezer versions, but these three are the most common ones these days. When you’re deciding on a particular door style, think about your refrigerator habits. Go for a French door style refrigerator if you often store large food trays for parties, which won’t fit in side by side refrigerators. But if freezer space is what you really want, then a side by side refrigerator will be a better choice.

Water and Ice Dispenser Location

You may not think of this as crucially important, but you’ll need to decide on whether you want a water dispenser in your refrigerator or not. If you’ve got a house filter for your water, you can forego the dispenser. If you decide that you want a dispenser, you’ll have to choose between a bottom freezer refrigerator and a side by side refrigerator, since dispensers aren’t normally available with other door styles. In any case, most refrigerators come with an ice maker, even if they don’t have a water dispenser, and this can take considerable space. The ice maker may be present in the door, in a freezer tray, or on the refrigerator’s top shelf. The location for the ice maker which suits you really comes down to whether you can compromise on the space which the ice maker will be occupying or not. For instance, an ice maker present in the door means that you’re giving up space in the door shelves so you can’t store more than condiments inside them. If you don’t want to lose refrigerator space, go the freezer ice tray route.

Size

Image source: http://www.acrofan.com Besides the overall size which can fit into the space you have, you should also think about the cubic size of your refrigerator, since there can be considerable diversity between models. Models ranging from as small as 10 cubic ft. to as large as 33 cubic ft. are available. Height and width are a couple of the factors that determine the fridge’s size, but there are also modern refrigerators which have a counter depth or standard depth, which is a good feature, in that they won’t jut into your precious floor space.

Energy Star Rating

Any time you purchase a new appliance, you should ensure that it is rated by Energy Star. This rating means that it works efficiently so you don’t have to foot a large electric power bill, which would be the case if you got a non-rated appliance. You can also get extra rebates from your utility company by purchasing an Energy Star rated appliance. Also keep in mind that an efficient refrigerator is much less likely to break down, even though we’re a professional repair service, we say this in the best interests of our clients, and the environment. Of course if you already like the fridge you have and don't want to get a new one and just need some repairs, call a fridge repair service to get you back up and running before your food spoils.